


Fireteam Legend

by ADLegend21



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Destiny, Destiny 1, Gen, Hunter - Freeform, Titan, Warlock - Freeform, all of my guardians are one fire team, personal headcanon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2019-07-23 18:47:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16164722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ADLegend21/pseuds/ADLegend21
Summary: A human, an Awoken, and an Exo wake up from death in Old Russia and escape the cosmodrome together. Together they face the darkness and everything the system has to throw at them.





	1. Chapter 1

The world can be a scary and cold place. Harsh. Unforgiving. Especially when you wake up in a set of armor to a voice saying "Eyes up, Guardian!"

Seeing things come into view, three beings stumble to their feet and identify two other people and three floating  _things_ in the air.

"Easy there," one of the floating things says.

"huh, what are the odds three guardians would be found just laying next to each other?" another said.

"Well stranger things have happened, at least we didn't wake a warlord."

The idle chatter of the floating things is broken by distant roars.

"We have to move, it's the Fallen!"

"What are the Fallen?" One of the people said. Her voice was soft and calming, as well as being the taller of the three.

"Into that wall, hurry!" one of the floating objects said as the trio of them flew ahead, allowing the people to follow them. A massive wall loomed ahead of them and an entryway allowed the trio inside. The objects lit up to illuminate the inside once the light from the outside could no longer make it into the structure.

"Hold on," One of the trio said, "Where and who are we?" Her voice was feminine but somewhat husky.

"I was going to ask the same thing?" The third of the trio had spoken, and her voice was unique. There was something...synthetic about it.

the three floating objects illuminated the people and their attire. All three reached up and found clasps on their helmets and removed them.

The three women looked upon one another and began to process their current company. A human, a blue woman, and a robot.

"You're mine," one of the floating objects said to the woman with braided hair, "We are Ghosts, The Traveler made us so that we could find you. You are Guardians, wielders of The Light."

"What are you?" the woman with the mohawk asked. "What's a ghost?"

"We help you channel your light, we can scout ahead, organize your backpacks, open doors and most importantly, revive you when you die," the women's corresponding ghost said.

"We've got a cast here," the last remaining Ghost said, "We've got a human, and Awoken, and an Exo. Awoken is the blue one, and an Exo is the metal one."

"Do we have names?" The human asked.

"Oh right, Guardians don't have specific memories, just speech and reflex..." The human's ghost said, "Well we can figure that out later when we reach The City. We have to get to a ship or none of you will make it very far until you die again." The human's ghost floated over a nearby railing, "I'll find a means to turn on the lights in here.

No sooner had it began to search did the Fallen arrive. creatures crawled down to form the ceiling and walls, making harsh noises as they found their prey. The lights did indeed come on and it allowed the trio of women to get their helmets back on and move.

"You three are going to see a lot of things you don't understand," the ghost for the Awoken woman said as they rounded a corner, "Oh good, three rifles, just when you need them."

The trio came to an armor locker where there were rifles and ammunition ready for use, "Alright, hold still you three." Together, the Ghosts flew at their respective guardians and vanished into thin air.

"We're still with you," the Ghost for the human said, "We're just hidden so that we don't get destroyed while you defend yourselves. We'll keep you in contact with one another so you don't get separated. Pick up those rifles, the Fallen are out for blood because we're in their territory."

The three women armed themselves and moved further into the wall and finally encountered The Fallen. Tall creatures with four, sometimes two arms that were anything but friendly. Shots began to be fired upon the trio and they returned in kind, surprised at their sudden knowledge of firearms and how to wield them. The human fired shots into the heads of the Fallen enemies while the other two were pelting them with body shots. Without speaking, the three advanced through the installation.

"You three are doing great," The Exo's ghost said, "There's more ahead, but I'm also detecting a loot cache."

The trio did indeed come upon a chest. Before they could even touch it, it began to open, courtesy of one of their ghosts. Blue cubes illuminated the space and their helmets showed that they had all acquired a new rifle, also thanks to their ghosts.

"Oh, I like this one," The human said as she pulled the new rifle from her back when it materialized there, "long distance....it feels right."

Around the corner they traversed trip mines and fought against two arm fallen, labeled as "Dreg" by their ghosts as they fought and killed them, leading to a more open room.

More Fallen descended upon them, getting in close, too close.

The Human drew a knife from her person.

The Awoken extended her open palm.

The Exo threw her fist.

Three Fallen crashed to the floor as more bullets were fired from automatic and a sniper rifle. 'Vandals' and 'Dregs' were felled and an exit was found, leading back out into the open into a place labeled 'The Divide'.

"You three are doing fantastic," The Awoken's Ghost said from inside their heads.

"The Fallen have a tighter hold on this place, we have to find something to get us out of here, there has to be something left." The Exo's ghost said.

Fallen drones called 'Shanks' began firing at them from a hallway ahead of them and it was easy to follow the trail the Fallen were giving them. Eventually, they came to a jump-ship, conveniently with enough space for four passengers.

The test at the end was a Fallen Captain Three on One were great odds. The human hung back and aimed down her scope while the other two moved ahead and engaged the larger Fallen. In a few minutes, the Trio were all that was left. Their ghosts reappeared. They worked in tandem and managed tog et the ship started just as reinforcements were on the way.

Next stop: The City.


	2. City Girls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fireteam Legend enters the tower for the first time.

The flight to The City was a safe one from the Cosmodrome. The three ladies were happy to have handled their own against the Fallen and made it out alive. The human was piloting the ship, and she somehow knew how to fly, just as she'd known to draw a knife from her hip in battle and operate a Sniper Rifle with incredible efficiency.

"So, Ghost?" The Awoken woman started, "What exactly are we, Guardians I mean?"

"Well, you're the ones who wield the Traveler's Light to fight against the Darkness."

The three women sat in silence after the answer.

"That sounds...very vague and aimless," The Exo said, "We don't even know our names but we have to fight something called 'The Darkness'?"

"Why don't we know anything? I feel like I was just born but...grown up," The Awoken said.

"Well, that's because you were reborn with the Light. It brought you back from the dead so you don't remember anything to start," The human's ghost said, "When you die again you'll remember things, but you most likely won't remember anything about your old life because you've all been dead since the Collapse happened."

"Collapse? Oh!" The Exo began to speak until she went silent, "Download complete. I remember!"

"Well that was convenient," The Awoken said.

"I think something triggered whatever my memories are in...My name is Khalia-2. Hmm, Two?"

"You're an Exo, so that means you've had one reset before a revived you, so you're on your second life," Khalia's ghost said, "Nice to meet you Khalia, I'm Carmen, your ghost."

"You have names, but we don't?" The Awoken asked.

"We named ourselves," Carmen said, "Most Guardians end up doing the same after they reach the City."

"Well...we were just in Russia..."The Awoken said, "For some reason, I like the name Anastasia...I'm Anastasia."

"Anastasia is a great name. I'm Kiara, your ghost."

The human was the last nameless person on the flight.

"Well, you are a Hunter. You're somewhat mysterious and eventually you'll start wearing hooded capes and twirling knives," her ghost said.

"hmmm...Havana. Sounds warm, even though we came from a cold place."

"Wonderful! I'm Taya, your Ghost."

"Well, it's nice to meet you all," Khalia said.

"Coming up on the City, I've got us landing clearance," Kiara said.

Havana, Anastasia, and Khalia saw the edges fo the City, The Walls, Twilight Gap, and most importantly, The Traveler.

Taya turned on the ships autopilot function and the ship confirmed to a trajectory that brought it toward a hangar. The three Guardians were surprised to see the interior of the ship vanish and the view of a sprawling plaza appear as they landed softly on a beautifully tiled floor.

"W-What the...how did that happen?" Havana asked.

"Who are all these people?" Anastasia asked.

"They're Guardian's, just like you," Kiara said as she floated to Anastasia's side, "This is the Tower, a hub for Guardians. This is where your peers are, as well as the Vanguard, Crucible, gunsmith, Shipwright, and Cryptarchs are. This is your home."

"Wow," Khalia said as she marveled at the plaza and people, "What do we do now?"

"Meet the Vanguard. we've alerted them that we found you and they're waiting down that staircase," Carmen said.

The trio began to trek through the plaza and down the stairs toward the Vanguard Hall. The Tower was a sight to behold, even beyond the main plaza. The corridor leading to the Vanguard was well lit and had civilians and frames walking through it, even a few other guardians huddled around a statuesque looking man, with one horn on his helmet. They came to a massive room with an alcove in the middle and there they stood; The Vanguard.

"Well look what we've got here," The Exo near the table said, "We've got ourselves a trio of KinderGuardians."

"Cayde, are you going to call every new Guardian that?" the woman at the forefront of the group said. Whoever she was, her presence was undeniable. Even with knowing nothing about her, the trio of new guardians were captivated by her and now that she had spoken, she had their undivided attention for the foreseeable future, "Welcome to the Tower. My name is Ikora Rey and I am the Warlock Vanguard Mentor. I believe you are the Warlock of this fireteam?" Ikora said, looking to Anastasia.

"What's a Warlock? We just got here from Russia," Anastasia replied.

"I see, all three of you together?" Ikora asked.

"That's right," Kiara said, floating ahead of her guardian," We found them near each other, just outside the cosmodrome about 10 hours ago. They've already killed a Fallen Captain, but they don't know much."

"Well then," The man at the far side of the table came around and stood next to Ikora, "We will teach everything you need to know so that you may function as Guardians. Is any among you a Titan?"

"She is," Carmen said twirling around Khalia-2.

"I see, I am Commander Zavala, I advise Titans. I'm not surprised that the exo among became a Titan. Exo titans have the potential to become Legendary Guardians. Your name, Titan?"

"Khalia-2, sir."

"That will be a name I will be hearing more of, I can tell. Your ghosts have everything you need to know about your classes, the Vanguard mentor you in practice and in organization. We'll be your guides and you protect the city and fight against our enemies."

"Wait, do we have to fight?" Havana asked, "We just get woken up and have to run for our lives and we have to go back and do it more?"

"No, that's not how it works," Ikora answered, "As you said you were just awakened by your ghosts. Throwing you back to the Fallen would do no one any good. The Tower is your home, you must learn about it before venturing into the wilds again. We will not lose you so soon after finding you, Guardian."

"Why are we called 'Guardians' anyway?" Anastasia asked.

"Because people like you three guard this city and the Traveler, the source of your light," Zavala answered, "With our abilities, we are able to provide safety and security for the Last Safe City, and for civilians outside its walls. We have stood for centuries as the ward against the Darkness and look to bring back humanity's Golden Age so that we may prosper."

"We know you need time to adjust to these things, which is why the Tower was made in the first place," Ikora chimed in, "I have good feelings about you three. If it's not too much to ask, I'd suggest the three of you stick together. It's not every day Guardians are resurrected in the same area. you three may be a true gift of the Light."

Havana, Anastasia, and Khalia looked at one another and nodded. They'd survived the Cosmodrome together, and now they'd get to know the City and what it meant to be a Guardian together. Today was the day that Fireteam Legend was truly formed.


	3. Class

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fireteam Legend learns about their abilities from the Vanguard themselves

Officially, the Vanguard was taking time to rearrange patrol routes and coordinate new strike missions so they were unavailable to the Tower. Unofficially, seeing an entire Fireteam of Guardians resurrected not just at the same time but in the same spot was being seen as a sign from the Traveler of hope and they weren't going to send them out into the wilds with ammo to 'discover themselves' as they would with Guardians who spent more time on their own before arriving at the tower.

"Today, we will be teaching you all of the basics when it comes to being a Guardian," Ikora Rey said as she surveyed the trio of new lights before her, "You, Anastasia, are a Warlock like me. We wield the light with controlled ferocity. before we get into that, however, All three of you are effectively immortal. You were dead, but now you have been gifted with the Traveler's light. Your ghost will heal you and should you fall, they will be able to revive you as well. Cayde, will you be so kind as to demonstrate that with me?"

Ikora's ghost appeared, as did Cayde's, floating away from their guardians.

"How could I refuse a request from my best friend Ikora Rey?" Cayde replied with a few swaggering strides, "What should I show em, Golden gun? If you've got a few minutes I can show Havana here a nice blade dance, do you think they're ready for a bow-"

In an instant, Ikora whipped a shotgun from her hip and with two loud cracks Cayde was thrown across the room, hitting the wall with a thud before landing in a seated position. The lights on his face flickered and went out, signifying that Cayde was dead.

"Holy hell!" Havana exclaimed when she saw Cayde after flinching from the loud crashes.

Ikora held up her hand as Cayde's ghost floated over to him. Cayde's body vanished before their eyes and his ghost expanded into a ball of light and moments later, Cayde appeared from thin air, good as new.

"Ow Ow OWW!! Invective?! That thing stings Ikora, you know that's why Shaxx doesn't sit down any more for long periods. I'd have taken a Nova bomb, dawn thingie, stormywhoozits-"

"As you've seen," Ikora said, "Guardians may fall, but so long as you have your ghost, you can and will come back. Unlike your first resurrection, you retain all memories thanks to your ghost. While you are able to come back, your ghost is not. Should your ghost be destroyed, you will have but one life left. that being said, fireteams help protect one another and their ghosts, so the more the merrier in most situations. It is why you three being revived together is such a good sign."

"So what makes us special?" Havana asked, "Why do we get to be alive again when other people are still dead? All we did was run for our lives from those Fallen."

"Guardians have the Light. We get special perks for fighting fallen, Hive, Vex, you name it we can take em. You didn't do anything out of the ordinary when you were running and gunning in the Cosmodrome?" Cayde asked.

Havana paused for some thought, "Now that you mention it, I pulled a knife I didn't know I had and then tossed it at a Fallen, then when we were flying here, I had it again even though I didn't pick it up."

"Ah, so you're a gunslinger You look like one with that skull face paint. If I kora wouldn't mind going kill for kill, I can show you what you can do."

Ikora's ghost flew away from here and Ikora moved into the center of the room for Cayde's demonstration.

"Zavala you get in there too, show Khalia what a bubble looks like," Cayde added.

Zavala sighed and joined Ikora, "Khalia, as a Titan you are the strength of your fireteam. A defender against onslaughts of the enemy. This is your power!"

Zavala threw his arms out wide and a dome of deep purple energy expanded over he and Ikora. little sparks of light seemed to fall from Zavala inside the dome and then Ikora shined briefly because of them.

"Anastasia, keep your eyes on me and I'll show you your power after Cayde is done showing his," Ikora said quickly.

"Alright kid watch closely," Cayde said, giving the fingers on his right hand a flex before raising his hand in the air. A flash of orange light filled and room and what looked like a gun made of the sun filled his hand. Cayde fired once and the dome Zavala made was gone. Another shot and Zavala was pierced and burning away into ash. A third and Ikora was blown away in an explosion of solar energy. The gun disappated after the third shot and Cayde shook his smoking hand. "that's what we call a Golden Gun. Shoots 3 shots of Solar power that can melt just about anything and anyone."

While Zavala's ghost began the process of reviving him, Ikora's did nothing. Anastasia looked at it quizzically until everyone still alive was covering their eyes from another flash of solar light. Ikora had reappeared and looked to be engulfed in flames.

"Whoa!" Khalia exclaimed, having been able to see the whole thing because of her Exo eyes.

"I can do...that?!" Anastasia asked.

"You can. Sunsingers are capable of incredible offensive power and should the need arise, we can come back from death by sheer force of will," Ikora said as her flames continued to burn brightly. As Guardians, your ghost can manufacture grenades and even give your melee strikes elemental augmentation. What we have just shown you are what are considered 'Supers', abilities of great power that show your light in all its brilliance. Along with your weaponry, you go into battle with these and they give you the advantage to match our enemies numbers."

"Well, I'm ready to get out there and do that to those Fallen that tried to kill us again," Havana said.

"That's the spirit, " Cayde said, putting an arm around Havana's shoulders, "Fallen don't take prisoners or show Mercy, so the more of them you toast, the safer the city is because they have attacked us before and we're pretty sure the House of Devils you encountered is coming for the City walls again. You three get a foothold in the Cosmodrome and we'll send the cavalry in after you."

"Banshee has sent armaments to your ship, so you're cleared to fly by Shipwright Holliday," Zavala said.

"Watch each other's backs and you'll make some noise that All the Fallen houses will hear."


	4. Footsteps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fireteam Legend's first real missions.

Fireteam Legend touched down in the Steppes area of the Cosmodrome, just outside the bay where they acquired their ship. Once they were on land, Khalia set a transmat beacon down for the Tower. There was Fallen activity visible even as their ship was flown off with the autopilot controlled by Carmen. Khalia, Havana, and Anastasia had their loadouts. Khalia's trio of weapons consisted of an auto rifle, a shotgun, and a machine gun. Anastasia chose a hand-cannon, fusion rifle, and a rocket launcher. Havana felt right having a scout rifle, sniper rifle, and a machine gun.

The Three young guardians were against the Fallen once more, but this time they were prepared. A Fallen skiff had clocked their landing and deployed some forces to meet them. Their instruction by the Vanguard did wonders. Havana found herself to be a crack shot. Her scout rifle shots were finding the heads of the dregs and vandals, sending white smoke from their necks when Havana could shoot their heads clean off. 

Anastasia was beginning to see the scope of her power as a Warlock. Her grenade wasn't what she expected it to be. When it landed it spread out in a disk and two smaller projectiles formed and followed the dregs she threw it at then detonated them into a flash of void light. She wasn't as accurate with her shots as Havana, but her handcannon packed one helluva punch when they landed.

When the trio went underground for the map, Khalia-2 began to really feel like a Titan. The close quarters were great for her large frame as the Vandals and Dregs that were after the trio weren't able to get their shots around her. She found that she got stronger when landing void punches as the energy shielded her from incoming fire, allowing her to give Havana more time with the computer to get the map of the Cosmodrome. Minutes and dozens of Fallen corpses later, fireteam Legend was facing down a massive Fallen leader. 

Riksis, Devil Archon had his sights set on them, just as he had when they retreated with their jump ship. He had to be over 10 feet tall, even dwarfing Khalia-2 despite the Exo being over 7 feet tall. It felt natural. Havana took the opening shots, pelting Riksis' helmet with her scout rifle shots and drawing his fire. Anastasia lobbed another grenade that spawned two smaller charges that exploded on contact. Whatever Riksis was made of, it was tough.

Khalia switched to her shotgun and closed the distance with her massive foe. two loud cracks echoed in the hangar and a third followed as Khalia's fist made contact with Riksis' knee, buckling the archon down to his other one. He swung one of his four massive arms and knocked Khalia back, but the damage was done.

Anastasia ascended into the air and drew back her right hand. when she shot it forward, a massive ball of void light descended onto the large Fallen, garnering a loud roar of pain as it burned his armor. As smoke rose from his tattered armor a small red dot appeared over his helmet. Havana had the easiest shot of her life lined up and fired a round through his helmet, causing yet another geyser of white smoke as Riksis fell, striking the first real blow against the House of Devils since Saint-14's crusade.

"I found it!" Anastasia said as her ghost scanned Riksis, "Warp drive. We got our haul ladies."

* * *

 

Later that day, Fireteam Legend landed back at the tower and they couldn't believe the smile on Amanda Holliday's face after they left the hangar. The warp drive they'd acquired was just the thing she needed to get more into production and it was going to help all Guardians of the city now that they'd taken out a key member of the House of Devils hierarchy. They turned their weapons over to Banshee for maintenance and were able to give Master Rahool the engrams they'd come across in the Cosmodrome.

While those things were happening, it dawned on Havana that it was night time. The travel to and from the Cosmodrome had seemed to flash before them. One thing that captivated her, was the size and scope of the Traveler. She found herself walking toward an area called 'Tower North' and looking at the massive orb in a large chamber near a man in a mask, known as the Speaker.

"You're drawn to it, aren't you?" his low, slightly gravely voice somehow felt comforting to her.

"It's...beautiful. Like the moon, only closer," Havana said.

"It is the source of all Guardians. In it's dying breath it created the Ghosts that resurrected you and all Guardians. Its power is channeled through us and we use it to defend humanity." The Speaker said as Khalia-2 and Anastasia joined him and Havana in the chamber, "Your resurrections have been seen as a sign from the Traveler. Never have more than one Guardian been resurrected at the same time, much less in the same spot. There have been Legendary Guardians that we thank for every day the City stands. I believe you three will join them. There are reasons we don't go to the Moon, have a stronger foothold in the Cosmodrome or any other place we once laid claim to in the Golden Age, but you three may be changing that very soon. You are a sign from the Traveler. It is up to you three to claim your destinies."

* * *

 

Inspired by the Speaker's words, Fireteam Legend returned to the Cosmodrome later in the week with better weapons and armor and patrolled the installation. After taking down the Archon, the rest of the Fallen House of Devils was in the Cosmodrome in force, making it a hot zone for the young Guardians.

"Reloading!" Havana said as she dropped the empty clip from her sniper rifle. She'd found that her accuracy with her weapons was...perfect. Taya was tracking her shots and since they left the City, Havana hadn't missed a shot from her scout rifle, Sniper Rifle, or her Machine Gun. Her throwing knives also had 100% lethal blows and her grenade had evolved into tracking fragments. She was aided by Anastasia and Khalia's combat styles taking more attention of the Fallen while she could sit back and use openings left by them to make her shots incredibly easy for her to make. Even then when Dregs, Vandals, or Shanks got to focus on her, her shots remained true.

"That's another skiff! Bubbling!" Khalia-2 extended her arms and a dome of void light expanded beyond her that blocked fire from the skiff, Fallen, and their grenades. Khalia and Anastasia stood inside the dome while Havana remained near the entrance to the area they got their ship while a tank was dropped into the Divide.

"Well, the Fallen certainly don't seem to like that we've been reducing their numbers all day," Anastasia said as Khalia reloaded her weapons while her Ward of Dawn protected them.

"Then they definitely won't be happy when this dome expires," Khalia-2 said.

"They won't live to see that," Anastasia said. When the main gun of the tank took aim, she leaped from the bubble and drew back her arm. Like she did against the Archon, Anastasia unleashed a massive orb of void light that slammed into the tank, exploding the legs and sending the main gun upward to fire its planned shot into the skiff overhead to send it crashing into the large gap between the Divide and the Steppes used for runoff from the colony ships.

As the dome expired, Havana cleaned up the Dregs and Vandals that managed to stay clear of the massive explosions and for the first time in about half an hour, the Divide fell silent.

"Dead Orbit and Future War Cult have been informed that their patrol missions are complete," Carmen chimed in as the trio of Ghosts appeared, "The Glimmer is already in your joint account and those groups thank you for your aid."

"So do we work for them now or what?" Anastasia asked.

"Oh no," Kiara said, "you'd have to join them, but you're all so young that they might not be looking for rookie Guardian's just yet. Technically speaking, you all were born two weeks ago. It's best to just focus on the Cosmodrome, for now, to get you all used to your powers and each other."

"Your usage of your Supers is impressive, you've all got some great synergy when the Light is flowing between you three," Taya said spinning in excitement, "Oh Havana, you can use yours now on that scout that's trying to get away."

Havana turned to the entrance to the Wall and whipped a gun of fire into her hands. Three loud crashes followed three pulls of the trigger and the unfortunate Vandal burned away into ash from the shots to the head, chest, and leg by Havana.

"Have you missed yet?" Khalia-2 asked.

"She hasn't," Taya replied, "She's 789 for 789 since I started keeping track in the city."

"What can I say, it's a gift," Havana said casually.

"I'm a robot and I miss some times, what gives?" Khalia-2 asked Carmen.

"If you didn't miss with all the rapid fire weaponry you have, these two could stay in the ship. You're plenty accurate though, 89% with less damage. You've hit over 3400 shots, above average for Titans,"

"What about me?" Anastasia asked of Kiara.

"You've taken the least amount of shots, but you've got the most kills. Your abilities are way more devastating than your weapons. Your Axion Bolts and your bloom technique are very reliable."

"I guess that's why we're such a good team," Havana said, "we compliment each other well. I don't miss, Khalia is very proactive, and Anastasia is devastating."

"That's what fireteams are all about," Taya said, "Now let's head to Skywatch. If we can get that place back in the hands of the City, we could really be in business. The Fallen won't know what hit them."

* * *

 

That is not the Fallen!" Khalia-2 shouted over the thundering of her machine gun.

For the first time, the Ghosts were out in combat, acting as floodlights as they flew around their guardians to light the pitch black corridors of Skywatch. Instead of Fallen, something else occupied the Skywatch facility. Screeching, grotesque creatures with claws that ran at them with reckless abandon. Khalia was the front line against them with Havana and Anastasia firing around her while she reloaded. Havana's grenade acted as a buffer when she had it and Anastasia was seconds from a Nova Bomb.

"The Hive is on Earth, this is bad news, very bad news!" Taya chimed as different corpse looking creatures appeared in the large room at the end of the corridor.

"I'm logging this in the mission report, just don't get in over your heads!" Carmen said as she illuminated some Hive with projectile weapons.

Havana worked her magic, putting sniper rounds into the head of the projectile hive while Anastasia cleared the room with a well placed Nova bomb for more melee creatures. Khalia was prepared when two creatures  _floated_ into the room and their hands lit up. She threw up a Ward of Dawn and the projectiles slammed against the dome in a futile effort to destroy Fireteam Legend.

"Well, this is a new and interesting experience," Khalia said as she reloaded all of her weapons.

"These things are disgusting. I'm glad my helmet insulated, it must smell terrible in here," Anastasia said.

"Well, let's clean this place up with a nice hot scrubbing," Havana said. She stepped out of the bubble and her Golden Gun emerged again. She fired at both floating creatures and hit headshots to burn them to ashes. With another round left, she was prepared as the leader of the floating creatures appeared The last shot hit and weakened the creature into a lower altitude.

Khalia-2 capitalized and ran at the creature with her shotgun up, pumping a pair of shot into it to finish what Havana started.

"Hostiles eliminated, Skywatch facilty cleared. The Vanguard will want to hear about the Hive," Taya said, "I'm brining the ship around, we need to head back to the City."


	5. Legendary Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're grinding on the moon, we carry our harpoons....

"I just downloaded what the Vanguard has on Eliksni language!" Khalia-2 shouted.

"What is an Eliksni?!" Anastasia shouted back.

"It's what the Fallen are really called! The Big Ball is calling for reinforcements! We gotta Blow it up now!!!" Khalia shouted back as she sprinted from her cover and threw up a Ward a Dawn over the crate Anastasia was hiding behind. the light created from Khalia's ward was enough to give Anastasia enough power for her new Super.

She lit up brilliantly with flames radiating from her body and leaped from the Ward of Dawn toward Sepiks Prime. She hurled grenades at a blistering rate, surrounding the servitor with orbs of fire that burned away at the exterior metal plating that protected the circuitry inside.

The Reinforcements arrived in a skiff and looked to be able to turn the tide, that was until they appeared on their jump hooks and were wiped out by three shots from Havana's golden gun. She had a clean set of shots from her perch and her gun was advanced enough that the Fallen she hit with the shots burst into fiery explosions that took out the remaining dregs and vandal, leaving the Servitor without its backup.

Under the fire of Anastasia's grenades and the firing of Khalia's machine gun, the servitor went critical and exploded in a flash of purple light, leaving behind a cloud of ether in its wake as the pieces flew in all directions.

"You did it!" Carmen cheered as she appeared, "and there's more good news, there's a cache of gear nearby with engrams for the Cryptarchy. You ladies just hit a great haul."

* * *

 

"The Hive have left the moon. It seems there truly is no escaping them."

Ikora's words hung over the six Guardians in the with an air of tension. The younger three didn't fully grasp the weight, but the two other senior Guardians knew just how grave her words were.

"It's time for us to return to the moon," Ikora said after a pause, "The Hive took it from us in one of our worst defeats. We lost thousands of Guardians both in the battle and after. If they wish to encroach upon our homeworld, then we must push them back."

"Ikora I get that, but you're not suggesting we send these three KinderGuardians into the heart of the hive?" Cayde asked.

"Not the heart, but we can reopen the surface of the moon to exploration and patrols. If anyone can handle that, it's these three. They have killed the Prime Servitor of the House of Devils and their Archon." She walked from her usual spot at the table and stood in front of Fireteam Legend, "You three are to remain on the surface and to go no lower than a floor into any hive structures you see. That way your Ghosts may still transmat you to your ship in case of emergency. As with the Cosmodrome, we want you to get a foothold on the Moon so other Guardians and scouts can set up operations on the surface.

"We will do our best, Ikora," Anastasia said.

"I know you will, just come back alive, we can't lose a fireteam like yours," Ikora said.

* * *

 "One small step for Fireteam Legend...one Giant leap for Guardian Kind!" Havana said when she trasmatted onto the Moon's surface. The team chose a landing zone in the Anchor of Light, near a Golden age accelerator. The view back to Earth was spectacular. The view was interrupted by Khalia appearing behind her, followed by Anastasia.

"Carmen pinged a structure in the next area, doesn't match anything from golden age records so it's gotta be Hive," Khalia said as she started walking up the hill before them.

The team was surprised by the gravity on the moon. They kind of assumed they'd be floating off if they moved too fast, but then again the Traveler had changed things when it was alive and the structure here made it seem like people had lived on the moon. Their journey to the hive wasn't as straight forward as an A-B trip to the building their ship had pinged. The Fallen had come to the Moon as well.

Khalia laid down covering fire while Havana and Anastasia entered the main building for the Accelerator. Taya worked on getting the power on while Havana joined her sisters in fighting off a surprise assault by the House of Exile of the Fallen.

"They look ready to be finished, step back!" Havana said. She whipped her Golden Gun into her hand and fired a round through the head of a Captain, a Vandal, and Dreg to make them explode and send the remnants of the failed assault running into the hills.

"Your Sparrows are up," Taya said as she floated back to Havana and vanished.

"Let's head to that Hive building and see what they're up to," Anastasia said as her sparrow appeared. The trio rode past another detachment of the House of Exile, but even they peeled off when they realized that Fireteam Legend was heading into hive territory, and not just any part of it.

They were headed to the Temple of Crota.

The structure was massive and looked like nothing they'd seen in the cosmodrome. When Anastasia and Havana went to get a closer look, something appeared on Khalia's radar. She turned to check what it was and saw someone standing in the distance. Her eyes zoomed in on the person and could make out the face of an Exo beneath a hood like the one Havana wore. From the looks of it, it was a female Exo wielding a pulse rifle.

"Uh, ladies..." Carmen said as she looked at the chains on the massive entrance. One by one they seemed to burn away and the runes in the middle did the same, "WE'VE WOKEN THE HIVE!"

All three Guardians drew their weapons as the doors creaked open, accompanied by a bone-chilling screech of a Wizard. Thrall came flooding from the entrance with acolytes in tow to rain fire on the Guardians to cover the melee creatures advance.

Luckily for the fireteam, there was the rocky cover on the hill that they could anchor to behind Khalia who was at the front to combat the thralls. She donned her void shielding from her powerful punches. Khalia felt at home throwing punches into Thrall that made them fade into the abyss in void light and then some just crumbling to dust from the force of her blows.

"Hah! I can do this all night! Bring it on your screaming punching bags!" Khalia laughed gleefully as she continued to punch thralls to dust.

Havana was using her scout rifle to keep the Acolytes from raining projectiles on Khalia while she punched the thrall numbers closer to zero with every swing.  Her accurate shots found heads and sternums of Acolytes and even a different enemy that was way taller than the Acolytes that came with guns that fired rounds that literally screamed as they flew. She had to shoot more because these enemies were tougher than the Fallen they'd fought before.

Through attrition and the power of their Light, the Hive assault party is mowed down, due in large part to a massive Nova Bomb from Anastasia when the second wave started to leave the entrance. Down to two wizards, Havana unleashes her Golden Gun and burns away the floating Hive to leave them with the entire entrance to the Temple of Crota, and what was inside of it, a dead Ghost.

"This is the Ghost of that Guardian outside. We should get him back to the City," Khalia said after Carmen recovered the dead Ghost from the hive machine.

"I'll set up some transmat beacons and we can get out of here. The Hive are after us, just like the Vanguard feared," Havana said as Taya moved their ship around to the Temple.

"I'm receiving a hail," Carmen said as she expanded to find the signal.

"From who?" Khalia asked.

"Not sure.....wait here it is!"

" _You three are interesting. Not entirely interesting, but you've got promise. Guardians, I know what you're about to do. It's brave.  But there are enemies out here that you would not believe. Go down and face the hive. If you three live, come and find me."_

"The signals gone but...I've got some coordinates. Venus, Northern Hemisphere, Ishtar region," Carmen said.

"So what do we do now?" Anastasia asked.

"We go down and fight the Hive." Khalia answered.


	6. Strange Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An Exo, the Vex, and a Queen.

"Havana now!" Khalia shouted as she threw up a ward of Dawn over Kiara as she worked on bringing Anastasia back. The Warlock's ghost was having a hard time doing in because they were in a darkness zone deep in the Hellmouth.  Fireteam Legend had been tasked with saving a shard of the Traveler that had been taken from Earth by the hive to siphon off its light for their magic.

Khalia's bubble was under assault by the eye blast of a massive Ogre that was summoned by the Wizards conducting the Ritual.

The chamber became filled with the shining light of Havana's Golden Gun. The perfectly accurate Hunter put the first round in the Orge's head to stop the blasts, the second in its mouth and the third in its chest to slowly but surely burn away the massive creature until it's howling screams were silenced by her light.

The remaining acolytes and thrall that were hammering against Khalia's bubble faded away in retreat once the Ogre had been slain and the Shard of the Traveler was freed from the Hive's clutches for good.

"We did it!" Anasatia exclaimed once she was reformed by her ghost.

"Good, let's get the Hellmouth outta here," Havana said, getting a chuckle out of her ghost in the process.

* * *

 

Fireteam Legend returned to the Tower with something of a fanfare. Civilians were saying thank you to them as they walked through the plaza and down the Vanguard Chambers.

"I've heard of your exploits against the Hive, Guardians," Shaxx said as they passed, "You're welcome in my crucible any time you're ready. Especially you, Titan."

 Fireteam Legend arrived at the Vanguard's chambers and all three members stepped around the table to address them.

"Well if it ain't our favorite Hive slaying Guardians. See Zavala, I told you they'd come back in one piece, I had a good feeling about them cuz they had a Hunter on their team," Cayde said, clasping a hand on Havana's shoulder as he stood next to her.

"Your reports are positively awe-inspiring," Ikora said as she finished reading over them, "You slew the Swarm Princes and shattered the Sword of Crota, destroyed the Shrine of Oryx and slew an abomination in Summoning Pits. That alone is worthy of praise, but to recover a shard of the Traveler goes beyond any Victory against the Hive we've had in years. Right now, there are hundreds of Guardians on the moon, and we have you three to thank for it."

"You three have made history and I don't think it will be the last time I'll be saying that. The City owes you a great debt for expanding our reach to the moon once more," Zavala said.

"Oh yeah before I forget," Khalia said as Carmen floated near the table, "I found this thing while we were in the hellmouth,"

Carmen materialized what looked to a golden glowing Ball onto the Vanguards table.

"Amazing, where did you get that?" Ikora asked.

"It dropped off one of the swarm princes when I killed it with the sword of Crota," Khalia said.

"Take that to Master Rahool immediately. It's not every day you get an exotic engram off the moon, those are relics for sure," Cayde said as he examined the glowing engram.

Khalia picked it up and jogged out of the chamber over to the Cryptarch in the plaza who saw her coming and knew exactly why she was there.

"Guardian, I see you've brought me my evening's work," Master Rahool said as he eyed the engram, "It will take me some time, but this should be decrypted by the time you're ready to set off again."

* * *

 

With their duty on the moon finished, for now, Fireteam Legend got a chance to truly relax on the tower. The plaza was busy with other guardians coming and going between vendors and the Vanguard chambers, but there were more places to go. Havana found herself over in Tower North, near the Speaker's chambers and the wonderful vendor Eva Levante. It was quieter, save for the Noise coming from a contingent of people in red near a triangle shaped logo, but it felt nicer here.

Havana poked her head into the Speaker's chamber to find it empty at the moment which allowed the young hunter to look around. The Machine at the center was massive and she couldn't help but be impressed by it, that is until she got a good look at the Traveler.

It just...floated there, big and bright in the sunlight shining down on it. It was the source of her power and why she was alive right now. Yet there was still so much she didn't know. How long had she been dead? Why was she chosen to come back when so many others remain in their final resting places? Why was she a Hunter? Why did she get brought back next to a blue woman and an Exo?

"What were you thinking?" She asked outloud.

"Thinking when?" Taya appeared in front of Havana, floating over the drop at her Guardian's feet as she sat on the ledge behind the Speaker's machine.

"I was just wondering what the Traveler was thinking when it told you to revive me."

"Well...I don't really know because it's dead or sleeping. It made us when it sacrificed itself to stop the Darkness all those years ago. We just find someone worthy of the Light and wake them up," Taya explained.

"So why'd you choose me?"

"Well, you're worthy. I mean Carmen and Kiara found their Guardian's right beside you so you were kind of sticking out. I almost thought we'd all gotten set on one Guardian and that would've been embarrassing. I mean look at what you've done so far. You're the best shot anyone's seen so far, you've bravely faced down killer Eliksni and freed a Warmind, then you went to the moon when it used to be forbidden and now it's not because of you. You're a natural with the Light and people are already comparing you to Efrideet."

"Who's that?' Havana asked.

"She's one of the Iron Lords."

Havana and Taya turned to see the Speaker had returned.

"She was one of the first real Guardians, during the Dark Age before the City. She, like you, was accurate with her weapons. She never missed a shot, even if she wasn't aiming at an enemy. She fought in many battles with her fellow Iron Lords and they are why we have a City to begin with. Your Ghost Taya is correct. Banshee was surprised when he saw your weapon telemetry. Not a single shot wasted. You're a special talent, Hunter. I knew when you walked in with your fireteam and you'll be the best of us. That is what the Traveler thinks of humanity."

* * *

 Khalia returned to Rahool after sunset with Anastasia alongside her. they'd just restocked their ship with new weapons and ammo from Banshee and Khalia just wanted to check on the progress of her exotic engram.

"Ah, Titan. I've got some news about your engram. It is at the Speakers chambers, he wishes to speak to you about something," Master Rahool said.

"Oh, Alright," Khalia said, her pink eyes moving toward the entrance to Tower North. The pair of statuesque Guardians made the short walk to the Speaker's Chamber to find Havana sitting in her spot waiting for them. The Hunter walked down into the bowl under the machine and joined her sisters.

"Ah, you've arrived," the Speaker said as he gestured the Fireteam to join him at the top of the stairs.

"Master Rahool said you've got my engram?" Khalia asked.

"I do and it's very important to me that you understand the significance of what was inside. Guardians are the defenders of humanity. We were chosen by the Travelers Ghosts because we are worthy to defend. I'm sure Zavala has told you about how Exo Titans have become some of the most legendary Guardians. I believe you will do the same because it cannot be a coincidence that you found this," The speaker grabbed what looked like a helmet and presented it to Khalia-2. It was silver with two plates on the upper face with a purple light going in between them. The top had a plate with fuzzy dressing across the top. It looked like a prototypical Exo helmet.

"What is that? Thats what was inside?" Khalia-2 asked as she took the helmet.

"That is the Helm of Saint-14. Former Vanguard Commander. He once led a crusade against the Fallen after Twilight Gap. He slew the Kell of House Devils and pushed the Fallen away from the City. He is still missing, but his helmet coming into your possession is a sign we cannot ignore, like the formation of your fireteam."

Khalia's eyes scanned the helmet as she processed the Speaker's words.

"I met Saint-14," Carmen said as she floated near Khalia, "I was returning to the city in my search to find you and we spoke a few times. I had hoped to find a Guardian like him, and I think I did well, just like Kiara and Taya."

"Find your purpose, Khalia-2, Anastasia, Havana. Each Guardian finds a use for the Light in different ways. When you find yours, you'll know it, and you will feel at home. Venus calls to you, you may just find your purpose there."

* * *

 

Venus was something else. The ruins of Golden Age Civilization were spectacular, but of course there was a Fallen house present, House Winter.

"You'd think the Devils would've told House Winter about us?" Khalia said as she bashed the last Vandal to death with a powerful punch that sent it into the Void. She'd found her void power increased since acquiring the Helm of Saint-14 and it was making their firefights much quicker against the Fallen.

"Maybe they don't talk as much as they should," Havana replied once they finished clearing up where the Coordinates were, "Alright we're going...under that building over there."

A quick Sparrow ride brought Fireteam legend into what looked like a ruined library that housed a tower of what looked to be light.

"What is that thing?" Anastasia wondered as she summoned Kiara to examine it.

A loud crack filled the room and a cloud of electricity formed. Fireteam Legend readied their weapons for whatever was appearing and several bipedal machines appeared out of the cloud, their heads holding red lights and their arms holding weapons. They were not friendly.

Khalia threw up a Ward of dawn as the machines began to fire upon them, giving Havana the berth she needed to gain the high ground in the library. She lined up a shot and blew off the head of a Vex with her sniper. to her shock, the machine kept going, firing at Khalia's bubble as if nothing had happened.

"These things are immune to headshots, what gives?" Havana said into the comms.

More Machines appeared, shooting down at the Ward of Dawn to see how much the void barrier could take, "I know what they might not be immune to," Anastasia said simply as void energy began to form in her hand. With Focus, Khalia's ward faded into her palm and then Anastasia hurled a massive Nova Bomb into the crowd of machines, obliterating them in a chorus of explosions as the void energy made their individual frames explode on top of the nova bomb so that even the machines appearing were slammed against the walls of the library until the last echoes of the blast were fading.

"Whoa..." Havana said as she hopped down from her perch, "That was incredible Anastasia. Did you bring Khalia's bubble into your Nova Bomb just now?"

"I did, she got me the energy I needed to form it when he put it up so I just channeled the void into my own attack, those things didn't stand a chance."

"Well fought." an Exo voice said

"Thanks, Khalia," Anastasia said, turning to her Exo sister.

"I didn't say that," Khalia turned to see a fourth person standing in the Library, an Exo she'd seen before, "It's you, you were on the moon."

"We don't have much time," the Exo said as she walked.

"Who are you?" Khalia asked, "you were watching us on the Moon and you gave us these coordinates. Why?"

"I don't even have to explain why I don't have time to explain," the Exo said walking over to a prone vex that seemed to be still active, "Yes I'm listening. I will. I will. I know."

"Know what?" Carmen asked, floating around Khalia.

"Who's she talking to?" Taya asked

"Who's on the other line?" Kiara chimed in

"I wasn't talking to you, Little lights," The Exo replied.

"We're Ghosts, actually..." Carmen said.

"Many Guardians fell, but you three made it here-Yes I'm listening...they  _are_ here, with me....Understood." The Exo finally turned to face the fireteam, "You need my help, Guardians."

"Is that why you brought us here?" Havana asked.

"They brought us here, The Vex. Evil so dark it despises other Evil," The Exo knelt by the twitching frame.

"You're not a Guardian," Kiara said.

"No, I wasn't forged in Light," The Exo replied, "But I believe where our paths cross ground can _break_ ," She stomped on the torso of the Vex, crushing the white enter of the machine, rendering it still. "Have you heard of the Black Garden?"

"Just what the City has on its records," Taya answered.

"The greatest threat lies there, where these Machines were born," The Exo explained, " Find the Black Garden and rip out its heart so that your Traveler may heal."

"Will you help us?" Khalia asked.

"My path is own. I can't."

"I think we should ask the Awoken," Kiara said, "If anyone would know where it is, they would."

"Ah yes, The Awoken. Out there wavering between Light and Dark. A side must always be taken, Little Light. Even if it's the wrong one."

Suddenly the Exo turned and began speaking, "Too late, returning. How many? Hold position, kill the engines, and Don't let them find you" and with that, she vanished into thin air.

"So we're going to find my people...the Awoken?" Anastasia asked.

"Looks like it. Hopefully, they don't mind if you bring guests," Havana said.

* * *

 

They minded.

Fireteam Legend's ship received a less than pleasant escort one they arrived in the Reef, but on the positive side, they were going to seeing the Queen of the Awoken. The Trio of Guardians was escorted in by two awoken soldiers to a Throne room with a view of the Reef. With their helmets off, Anastasia stood at the front of the trio since these were her people and hopefully she'd get the answers they were looking for. Near the Throne stood a man in some armor and a cape and he didn't look too pleased to see them.

"So, these are the trespassers that seek an Audience with the Queen?" the man said, smugness bathed his words.

"We didn't mean to Trespass, we need help," Khalia said.

"The Queen judges who may enter our realm herself. Me, I see no reason why she should be available to whatever washes up on the Reef from Earth," He stepped down from near the Throne and surveyed the Guardians, "But, here we are."

Before more words could be said, a pair of Vandals appeared from behind the Throne, wielding arc spears.

"Eliksni!" Khalia said, taking a small pistol from the guard near her. Havana drew a knife, and Anastasia was ready to throw a grenade.

The man who had been speaking grabbed Anastasia by the wrist with one hand and held a knife up in the other. The two guards aimed rifles at Havana and Khalia. "What are Eliksni doing on the Reef?" Anastasia asked.

"Stand down."

A woman appeared from behind the throne. She was stunning with almost white hair and piercing eyes. Her form-fitting clothing seemed regal, but also combat ready.

"They know the true name of the Fallen, but not why they're here. Interesting," the woman said, "But they don't understand that these are mine." she took her seat on the throne, looking down upon the scene.

The man withdrew his knife and Fireteam Legend relaxed now that they had their audience.

"Apologies, Your Grace," the man said.

"My Queen," Anastasia said, kneeling before the woman.

The Queen had been sitting as if she was lounging, but when Anastasia knelt after addressing her, she sat upright. Her face changed from neutrality to show some interest, "Your name?" She asked.

"I am Anastasia, a Warlock Guardian seeking aid. These are my sisters, Titan Khalia-2 and Hunter Havana of Earth."

The Queen relaxed to her previous posture and for a moment, Anastasia could make out a flicker of disappointment, " I see. Rise, Guardian. What aid does it require from Queen Mara Sov?"

"We are searching for The Black Garden," Anastasia said.

"Why?" The man asked.

"We seek to destroy the Darkness at its heart."

"Ah, you seek to turn it into a battleground, how unimaginative."

"Do you know where it is?"

" _Everyone here_ knows where it is. The Hard part is getting in."

"Can you help us get in?"

"Now why would we do that?"

Mara sat up once more, "The Queen requests counsel with her brother Uldren."

Uldren stepped away from Anastasia and went to his sister's side. They spoke in voices so low not even the Ghosts could hear for a few moments before Uldren let out a forced laugh.

"Yes, that's good. How's this. We'll make you a key. All you need is the head of a vex Gate Lord from Venus."

"Why do you want a Vex Head?" Anastasia asked.

"We don't," Uldren said, "and we probably won't get one either, but you need it if you want to get into the Black Garden."

"We will return then," Anastasia said.

"Or die on Venus. Either way, your stay here has concluded for now." Uldren finished.

Anastasia gave a bow to Mara Sov. When she stood up, the look of interest had returned and her eyes were locked onto Anastasia's before the latter turned to be escorted out of the chamber with her fireteam.

"Curious," Mara said as the Guardians left.

"That it addressed as 'My Queen'?" Uldren asked.

"It was almost as if she recognized me. I had hoped..." Mara trailed off before shaking her head, "Have your crows keep watch on them. There's something special about those Guardians."


	7. Purpose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Khalia-2 finds her Purpose as a Guardian on Mars.

"That's a big ass Vex!" Havana said into the comms. Of all the Vex She had seen in their days on Venus, this was by far the biggest that was being assembled in front of her scope, "Good thing we've been stockpiling that Heavy Ammo, huh?"

"Yeah, we're giving it a berth and then we're throwing everything we've got at it!" Anastasia said as she and Khalia-2 began to retreat down the grassy steps that led to the plate they used to summon the massive Vex Gate Lord. With Havana covering them, Anastasia and Khalia were able to gain the distance they required to draw their rocket launchers. The Gatelord fired its massive weapon and fireteam Legend returned the sentiment with rockets and light. Havana's Golden gun burned three holes in the massive Vex, Anastasia's Nova bomb welded it's feet to the ground from the pure ferocity of its vortex until it's leg joints began to break. The final blow was from Havana's Sniper ass she fired a round right into the glowing fluid in the Gatelords abdomen to send the massive frame crashing to the ground. The smaller Vex in tow with the Gatelord realized their advantage was gone and they all vanished.

 "We did it! We killed a Vex Gatelord!" Havana exclaimed as she hopped down from her perch. When she got to her sisters, Khalia was pulling the head off of the chassis of the fallen frame.

"I can't wait to see the look on that smug dudes face when we show him this," Khalia said as Carmen put it away in her backpack.

"I just hope this meeting goes better than the last one," Anastasia said softly.

"Hey, you got this," Havana said, "The Queen seemed to like you at least, even if you don't get along with her brother."

"Okay. Kiara bring the ship around, let's head back to the Reef so we can get to the Black Garden."

* * *

 

"A Vex Gatelord? Well, Shaxx will be jealous," Ikora said over the comms. Fireteam Legend was reporting their activities to the Vanguard.

"My scouts are already combing through the Ishtar ruins after you cleaned out those Vex," Cayde chimed in,  "House Winter might be a problem since that Ketch just showed up."

"After your visit with the Awoken Queen, we may need your help back on Venus," Zavala said, "There's increased Fallen activity now that the Vex have been hampered."

"Zavala," Anastasia spoke, "What do you know about Queen Mara?"

"I know that she has domain over the Reef and the Awoken there and that she has command of some members of a Fallen house, but that is all. We do not have a formal association with the Reef beyond a few fireteams that venture out that far unofficially."

"Oh. I see."

"We're about to enter Reef territory again. We have to clear the comms," Taya said.

"Fireteam Legend signing off," Anastasia said before cutting the comm.

* * *

 

Once more, Fireteam Legend entered the chambers of the Awoken Queen. This time they were a welcome sight and weren't escorted by armed guards. The Queen still had her Eliksni guard and her brother was present this time as well.

"They are alive, with their little lights intact," Mara said as the trio walked along the catwalk toward her throne.

"There is no shame in running away, Guardians," Uldren mocked, "You were wise to do so. It's an excellent strategy, aside from the cowardice and failure of it."

"We didn't run," Anastasia said smoothly.

"Carmen, if you would," Khalia said.

Carmen expanded and in an instant the head of the slain Vex Gatelord appeared and crashed to the floor at Mara Sov's feet. The Eliksni guard, Uldren, and even Mara herself seemed surprised at this. Mara was on the edge of her seat as she looked from the Vex head to Anastasia's green eyes staring up at her.

"We need to find the Black Garden," Anastasia said.

"They don't even know where it is," Uldren said, retaining his smug attitude in spite of the events.

"Then let us tell them," Mara replied, eyes locked onto Anastasia's, "Search the Gatelord for that which gains them entrance."

"Why?" Uldren turned to the Queen, his voice now betraying anger, "If you wish them certain deaths, kill them and their ghosts here."

Mara's eyes shifted from Anastasia to her brother, her expression remained even, "Often, when we guess at other's motives, we reveal only our own."

"My motive is simply loyalty, to a people, a Queen, and a Sister."

"Then please, take what is required and give it to the Guardians."

Uldren slowly turned and walked down the steps toward the Vex head and began rummaging through the interior of it. Eventually, he came up with the eye of the Gatelord, "Dead, unfortunately. A wasted journey, I'm afraid," he held up the ey for Fireteam Legend and Mara to see.

"Perhaps, but I think these ones resourceful. We gift it in sympathy for their Traveler," Mara said.

Uldren turned to Anastasia, "Mars. Eighty-Four North. Thirty-Two East. Meridian Bay," and he tossed her the Gatelord's eye.

Behind him, Mara stood from her Throne and stepped forward.

"I have you show you Benevolence, Warlock Anastasia. Should I ever need an ally, I will call on you. And expect you to answer."

"She's saying you owe us, Guardians," Uldren added.

"I understand," Anastasia said. She gave a bow toward Mara, "Your Grace."

"Good luck...getting through the Cabal Exclusion Zone," Uldren said as Fireteam Legend departed the chamber.

* * *

 

"Well, that went better than we expected, right?" Havana said as they flew back into the interior of the Sol system, "We seem to be on the Queen's good side now."

"I guess," Anastasia said, "I feel...conflicted."

"How so?" Khalia asked.

"In our first meeting, it seemed like...Mara knew me. Now she's kind of aloof."

"Well, she is a Queen. It's her job to know things," Havana said, "She's better than her brother."

"Zavala doesn't know anything about the Reef and neither do I," Anastasia sighed.

"Well, we've got plenty of time to get to know them now that we owe them," Khalia said as Mars began to appear in view.

* * *

 

 "There, that scout base, we can try to find information on the coordinates there," Carmen said as Fireteam Legend entered a cabal base.

The arid climate of Mars was sweltering for the two non-Exo Guardians and inside the base, there was a supply of Oxygen allowing the three Guardians to remove their helmets.

"Let's see what we have..." Carmen said as she started to interface with a console. "Oh, there's information about the Cabal here fighting the Vex!"

"Fighting the Vex? Well, maybe we could finally get some help out here," Khalia chuckled.

"Mars is sweltering, it's as hot as my Golden gun," Havana said as she wiped some sweat from her brow.

"No wonder the Vex like it, those Robots can't feel the heat," Anastasia did the same.

"Hey, Exo's can overheat," Khalia chimed in, "Carmen, think we can get some assistance from the Cabal fighting the Vex?"

"Hmm, not sure. I'm in their network and they're not very friendly... there are plans to destroy all Vex tech on Mars and then....Earth is next on the Agenda. The Cabal aren't native here, they're conquerors for their leader the Ghost Primus."

"Conquerors?" Havana asked.

"I'm digging deeper and...Sol is just one of the many systems with Cabal presence and on the current list for wiping out resistance."

"Khalia...are you okay?" Anastasia noticed the Exo had gone silent, mouth hanging slightly agape while the lights in her head were flickering.

"Download complete. War Machine Khalia-2 Online."

Alarms blared and bright lights turned on inside the base.

"Oh no, I tripped a failsafe alarm!" Carmen said as she vanished into Khalia's 'backpack'. A door at the far side of the room opened up to the outside and a dropship was offloading massive soldiers

Havana and Anastasia put their helmets back on as Khalia ran ahead of them with streaks of electricity flowing behind her.

_**BOOM** _

Kahlia collided with one of the Cabal soldiers and the shockwave sent the two next to it flying into the air and her fireteam stumbling. Khalia whipped her shotgun from her back and fired two bursts each into the two Cabal that jumped out of the hovering ship, shredding their armor and sending them crashing into the sand beside her. In the next motion, she put her rocket launcher on her shoulder and fired three rockets from the tripod barrel into the thrusters of the ship, sending it drifting out into the open desert and crashing into a dune before exploding into pieces while Khalia reloaded.

"What's gotten into her?" Havana asked as she ran after her Titan sister.

"New Objective. Exterminate the Cabal," Khalia's sparrow materialized and she took off to the west.

Fireteam Legend sped through the Martian desert until they came to a Cabal blockade, manned by the same massive soldiers and their decorated commander.

Khalia dismounted her sparrow and leaped high into the air as arc energy surround her and she crashed into the middle of their formation sending out a massive wave of energy that vaporized about five Cabal.

The remaining Cabal opened fire on Khalia and she returned it with her auto rifle. Khalia taking the fight to the Cabal left them open for Havana's perfect marksmanship to pick off several of the dozen Cabal that remained with her Sniper Rifle. Anastasia lobbed an Axion bolt grenade that weakened a pair of foot soldiers and Khalia closed on them to deliver another thunderous shoulder charge that jettisoned them into their own buildings. Khalia turned and faced the Commander. Carmen's data dive provided an ID for him. Bracus Tho'ourg. Khalia exhausted her shotgun's clip into his armor and he returned fire from his rifle and sent out a shockwave with a heavy stomp.

Khalia stood her ground and even under Saint-14's helm, her sisters could see the intensity radiating in her Light. Electricity flowed up to Khalia's hand and she lobbed it at the Bracus to stun him before advancing once more to deliver a sand moving punch to his gut. The Bracus let out a primal roar and punched Khalia clear onto the opposite ridge into a piece of cover. Khalia returned with a loud synthetic roar and shot across the gap and pinned the Bracus to the cliff behind him. She hoisted him up and tossed him down into the gap before leaping into the air once more and coming down with arc energy surrounding her and slamming her fists into his body to send the arc energy in all directions to vaporize him.

Khalia stood in a well of arc energy as it crackled and sparked around her in the sand, showing the wake of her destructive onslaught.

"Khalia are you alright? That was a hell of a fight!" Anastasia asked as she glided down to her sister.

"You just took out a twelve foot Cabal commander in a fist fight! That was so intense!" Havana said as she joined her sisters.

"I'm fine," Khalia said as she shook dust and debris off her shoulders, "I've found my purpose. I will bring the fight to the Cabal. They will pose no threat to the City so long as I live. Khalia-2 will Exterminate The Cabal."

"Good news!" Carmen said as she appeared, "I managed to take his access key before he was vaporized and I'm in the Cabal network. The Gate to the Black Garden is just across this ridge, we just need to charge that Gatelord's eye to open it and we can stop the Vex."

"Good," Khalia said, "Black Garden first, Cabal after that. Let's set up some transmat beacons to get the Calvary here."

"Sure thing, War Machine," Havana chuckled.


End file.
